Puppets
by top
Summary: After an assassination attempt on Naruto, Shikamaru is dispatched to find out who's behind it. Accompanied by Ino and his young apprentice he finds that the source of the threat is too close for comfort. A Shikamaru detective story
1. Botched Assassination

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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><p>Shikamaru stirred his pork fried ramen around the bowl in an attempt to cool it. Unlike his dining companion, he didn't feel an urge to immediately swallow his food and then complain how he had burned his mouth. Naruto, widely considered the best candidate for Hokage, still ate like a child. He wondered if Sakura's presence would've improved his manners or not.<p>

"I'm thinking of taking on a team this year." Naruto said around a mouthful of noodles.

"Oh," Shikamaru said, picking up a more reasonable portion. "Do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, that process can take years. It would be a bit unfair to your students if you had to abandon them halfway through their training to become Hokage, don't you think?"

Naruto seemed to give that some thought before shrugging. "I've been told that's not happening before I am twenty-five, so that would give me three years at least. Besides, if your lazy butt can do it so can I."

"Takara is an apprentice, not a student." Shikamaru corrected automatically. "And she's a very troublesome apprentice at that."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have to teach my genin to read at least."

"You wouldn't have to teach them table manners either. In fact, you might pick up something from them there."Shikamaru's comment cost him a poke in his side. As he turned his head to deliver a verbal response to the physical assault he caught movement from the corner of his eye. More on instinct than conscious thought, his hand reached out, intercepting a small hand with a kunai an inch from Naruto's back. He applied enough pressure to the wrist that there should have been a sound of pain, but the kunai was simply dropped and the hand twisted out of his grip.

It was only when the attacker turned and ran that Shikamaru was able to get a look at the would be assassin and was surprised by his youth. The kid couldn't be any older than a year out of the Academy. That did not stop Shikamaru from giving chase as the boy quickly disappeared down an alley. He reached the corner just in time to see the boy disappear into the next street. It was at times like these he regretted that all of his shadow techniques required at least line of sight to be effective.

Emerging from the alley, Shikamaru was again just in time to see the boy climbing up a gutter and onto a roof. The analytical part of his mind wondered why he wasn't using chakra to climb the building, but on the same token he was grateful for it as he was able to climb like a spider, closing the distance but not fast enough to prevent the boy from jumping from the roof to the next building.

The boy did not hesitate, either having supreme confidence in his skills or was simply terrified. When he jumped to a third story roof, Shikamaru would've sworn there had been no use of chakra again, but then the wanna be assassin did something strange. Instead of continuing on to the next building, he scrambled up the water tower on the building, and without hesitation, jumped head first into the street.

For the second time that day, Shikamaru was forced to act without thinking. Jumping just-in-time, they collided in midair. With one arm wrapped around his target, Shikamaru grabbed and caught one of the numerous clotheslines that crisscrossed the street. Almost immediately, one end of the clothesline gave under the surprise weight, swinging them like a pendulum to the other side of the street. The rope slipped through his hands, but he held tightly, slowing their descent just as he smashed into the side of the building, knocking the wind out of him. By then they were only a few feet above the ground and he dropped, holding firmly onto his captive who didn't seem to be moving.

The last part of the chase had drawn considerable attention and people started to gather around them, but here the advantage of living in a ninja village asserted itself. Instead of crowding him, several individuals who were clearly ninja formed a perimeter around him. He remembered the procedure any active ninja was supposed to follow when there was a disturbance in the village, and two people diving off of a building would certainly be classified as a disturbance. Secure the area and detain anyone involved. If he tried to walk out of the perimeter he would be stopped, at least until someone in authority arrived. When Naruto arrived late to the show, he was reminded of that when a ninja half his size stopped him from approaching. Instead, Naruto called out over someone's shoulder, "What happened Shikamaru?" Not really knowing himself, he just shrugged and that was when the ANBU arrived.

* * *

><p>"Does it have to be so tight?" Shikamaru asked the nurse who was supplying the medical gauze to his injured hand.<p>

"Yes," the medical-nin replied. "The less you use it the quicker it will heal." The woman added before finishing her work. "Now, there's someone else who wants to talk to you too so stay here."

"Fine," Shikamaru said sighing. It had been thirty minutes since the incident and they were now in the Konoha hospital. The rope had not taken off too much skin, but it definitely needed attention and the medical gauze certainly constricted his hand. Naruto had stuck by Shikamaru's side except for when they had been separated to give their statements. As it turned out, Naruto had been completely unaware of what exactly had happened.

Once the medical-nin left they both looked at each other and shrugged. The day had taken an odd turn and neither of them knew what to make of it. There was a moment of silence between the two of them, but Naruto broke it. "I thought you were trying to ditch out on paying your side of the bill."

"I'm not that cheap," Shikamaru answered, glancing down at his hand. They had given him something mild for the pain but it still felt like the worst rug burn he had ever had. "Strange day."

"Yeah, not exactly what I expected when I invited you to lunch."

"And you're sure you've never seen him before," Shikamaru asked.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen that kid before. At first I thought it might be, you know, a transformation, but they checked for that before taking him away."

Despite the fact that the kid had tried to stab him there was a sad tone in Naruto's voice. Even if the kid had been a trained ninja, and Shikamaru doubted that, his friend wouldn't be able to feel anger towards the kid. Kids had a soft spot in Naruto's large heart. Not that Shikamaru could look down on him for that. His last mission involving a kid had ended up with her becoming his apprentice despite her tendency to start fires. The mental reminder of Takara made him groan. "She's going to be in one of her moods."

"Who?" Naruto asked, not being able to read his mind.

"Takara," Shikamaru answered, glancing up at the clock. "She hates when I'm late and I told her I'd be back ten minutes ago."

"That's not so bad. When Kakashi is ten minutes late I almost consider him on time." Shikamaru was saved from explaining by a knock on the door.

The Fifth Hokage walked in without waiting for a response and said with no preamble, "Well, this situation is certainly strange."

"Which part?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade tried to force a smile. "All of it. I just don't know where to start. The kid, and it is a kid because we checked that ten different ways, was nearly completely catatonic for the first fifteen minutes we had him. He was in the middle of a medical exam when he seemed to come out of it. He immediately started calling for his parents, and when that didn't produce results, accused us of kidnapping him."

"Genjutsu?" Naruto suggested almost hopefully before frowning and shaking his head. "No, that wouldn't work.

"No, it wouldn't and someone put a lot of effort into this. It wasn't just a kunai you were going to be stabbed with, Naruto, it had something on it. We're still analyzing, but this definitely wasn't a spur of the moment thing. There was a piece of paper they think had the kunai in, like a sheath, and there's more of the substance there."

"So what's his story?" Or cover, Shikamaru didn't add for the sake of Naruto.

Tsunade let out a long sigh. "He says his name is Ryoichi and he claims he's an acrobat."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that, but in a strange way it didn't seem odd. "That would explain some of his agility."

"Yes, but his story gets stranger from there," Tsunade continued. "He gave us the name of a traveling circus along with the names of his parents, which we're both checking out. He says the circus was just about to leave the Fire country for Grass. He remembered help taking some stuff down and then," she shrugged, "three months later he woke up here."

"Weird," Naruto observed.

Unconfirmable, Shikamaru thought. Alright, they could confirm the name of the circus, and if his parents were performers they might be able to confirm that too. Of course, a missing persons report could be forged if one had been filed. Most people, if told a kid was missing, would believe worried parents because that was not something you lied about, but it could be something you would do to provide cover.

Alright, enough pessimism, a suitably paranoid person could cast doubt on any evidence. How could they confirm his identity? "So, what is the theory here? Do we think it was something like the Senno Sosa no Jutsu, but different?"

Tsunade eyed him. "Perhaps something like that. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure," Shikamaru said honestly. "He attacked Naruto when his back was to the street which indicates either extremely good luck or at least some familiarity with Naruto's behavior. Then again, I'm not sure how many people are not aware of his unhealthy love for Ramen."

"Hey!"

Naruto's objection was ignored."However, I didn't see him use any chakra and he did try to take his own life, he tried to do it in a very specific way. If he didn't want to fall into enemy hands it would've been a lot easier to give him a cyanide capsule or anything more reliable than a swan dive off of the building. It makes me think he was trying to destroy something." He gave the Hokage a questioning look and she grimaced.

"The tests were inconclusive. We suspect whatever was there somehow destroyed itself."

"So he was being controlled, but now he's back to normal?" Naruto ventured.

"Possibly," Tsunade commented. "We really don't know. This new personality could just be another layer."

Shikamaru thought that Tsunade was falling into the same trap that he had. "Well, there is one way we can get some more information." He waited until everyone was looking at him and then shrugged, "Send Naruto in to check up on Ryoichi. If he seems to recognize him we will know something's up."

"Reasonable." Tsunade allowed. "That is if Naruto is willing."

Naruto just grinned.

Ryoichi was being kept in a secure hospital room that was actually the basement. It looked like any other room except there were no windows and there were multiple closed-circuit cameras. Tsunade and Shikamaru watched from the security room as Naruto walked in, dressed like he worked in the hospital. He inquired about the boy's health and if he could get him anything before checking his chart and leaving.

Shikamaru had tried to concentrate on the boy's expression, but had not seen anything that looked like recognition. "I didn't see anything."

"No," Tsunade said, her gaze not wandering from the monitor. After a moment, she tapped the ninja stationed there on the shoulder. "Make a copy of this tape. I want to give it to intelligence so they can analyze for micro-expressions."

Micro-expressions were small unconscious reactions. They were hard to detect and even harder to control. Shikamaru did not envy whose job it would be to go through the short film frame by frame. "Well, it seems you don't need me anymore, so I'll be going."

"Yes, but report to my office first thing tomorrow morning. I might have more need of you then. Tell that to Naruto, too." Tsunade said before he reached the door.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to say troublesome just under his breath as he stepped into the hallway. He nearly ran into Naruto and relayed the order he had been given before parting ways.

As Shikamaru walked home, he mulled the situation over in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed very odd. As a general rule, ninjas didn't go for the whole suicide mission thing. Ninjas would lay their life down for their village, but most chose to live and fight another day. The only time suicide was preferable was when capture was imminent with no chance to escape, or a mission so critical to the village's survival that there were simply no other choice.

Naruto certainly was a powerhouse, but did he really rate such treatment? At first glance, the attack looked like it would've had a high probability of succeeding. Naruto's back had been to the street, but then if the kunai had struck there would've been no way the assassin could've managed an escape. If someone is desperate enough they might sacrifice one of their young ninjas, but not to such an uncertain cleanup plan.

His mind drifted back to a few years ago. Sasori, a member of the former Akatsuki organization, had some way to control people if Shikamaru remembered correctly, but he was long dead and presumably that technique with him. Then again, information was never lost, it was just obscured. So, maybe he shouldn't be thinking how it was done but why someone would want Naruto dead. Unfortunately, that wasn't a very short list.

When he opened a wooden gate to his family's home, thoughts of the botched assassination fled him as he fell under the gaze of a very angry Takara.

* * *

><p>Takara had, at only ten years old, become the most troublesome female in Shikamaru's life and that was an impressive feat considering he still lived at home. She was his apprentice, although, he had not quite realized how much responsibility that entailed initially. The girl had actually been the target of one of his missions.<p>

Three months ago, he had been given a mission to catch an arsonist in a village to the north. What had started out as a simple straightforward mission; had turned into a more complicated situation. The governor had hired him using Fire country funds, but had neglected to point out that it was only his privately owned property that was being attacked. Once he obtained that piece of information, and factoring in the local conditions, he had been able to predict the next target of the arsonist, which to his surprise, had turned out to be a kid.

The story from there had become a simple story of revenge and anger. Takara and her brother had been orphaned. Together, they had drifted around the country and eventually resorted to crime. They had been caught breaking into a warehouse by the night guard and her brother had accidentally killed the men. He was caught and publicly executed. The governor flew his family's crest in addition to the Fire country crest at the execution. That had been the impetus for Takara to go on her arson spree.

Still, when Shikamaru had finally caught her, he was hard-pressed to see anything more than a scared kid who had just been lashing out in anger. Arson carried the death penalty and her age would not have mediated her sentence. Sympathy for her had only been part of his reasoning, however.

The village where she had committed her arson spree in was an industrial hub. He had initially worked under the theory that the fires were being set by ninja. If the village had been engulfed by a firestorm, the economy of the Fire country would've taken a massive hit. The local police had not been slack in their efforts to capture the people responsible. Avoiding their night patrols and other checkpoints would've been a difficult task.

Takara had not been simply lucky to avoid capture. She had shown impressive planning abilities that had taken him time to peel back. It was only once he started to place the governor at the center of the fires that he able to understand her plan and capture her. If he could focus that intellect she could be a major asset for the village and the country.

Of course, despite all of her intellect, she was still just a small girl and right now she was angry at him. One thing Shikamaru had learned about Takara was she hated him being late. If he was a little late she became angry. If he was more than a day late she became very upset. He had found that the hard way.

"Takara," he began just as she turned around and retreated down the hallway, leaving the front door open. Shikamaru took a moment to reflect that he had brought this on himself and headed into his family's house. When he learned that because Takara was not a native of the village, he would have to provide her housing, he had been at loss what to do. That was until his mother had offered her one of the guest rooms. Now the room was her's as far as his mother was concerned. Instead of heading up the stairs to her room, he instead headed to the kitchen where he luckily found his mother. "How upset is she?"

His mother only glanced at him before returning her attention to the dish she was violently cleaning. "On a scale of one to ten I would say about a three, but look in the dining room."

He glanced into the dining room and saw a plate of untouched food. "I'll take it to her."

As he walked up the stairs he wondered what his mother really thought of Takara. She was different with her then she had been with him at the same age. It wasn't just that he had never been allowed to eat anywhere but the dining room. He simply couldn't imagine his mother putting up with him the way she put up with Takara. Then again, he had been just lazy. Takara had a genuine fear of him not coming back for her.

The way it had been described to him was because her brother had disappeared she lived with a constant fear of being abandoned by the closest thing that she now had to her brother, which was him. Shikamaru had been ensured the fear would subside with time, but until then he should try to be as consistent as possible.

Coming to the door, he knocked and said, "Takara, I'm sorry I was late." There was a notable lack of noise from the other side of the door so he continued. "I had to stop an assassination. It couldn't be helped. I'll tell you about it if you open the door."

There was the sound of something being moved away from the door and a latch being undone. Shikamaru was grateful, for once, that Takara liked to hear ninja stories.


	2. To The Circus

Shikamaru allowed Takara to accompany him the next morning as long as she agreed to stay in the hallway during the actual meeting. They arrived at Tsunade's office before the Hokage herself. Naruto was already there pacing up and down. Knowing there would be no way to calm him down, Shikamaru settle down to a game of Shogi on a small portable board. The magnetic pieces were a bit annoying, but it was better than just waiting.

Takara was becoming quite good at the game. He had given her the same book that Asuma had given him to look through at first. She had taken it into her room and two days later asked to play a game against him. It had taken him a few minutes to realize that while she had a grasp of the game, she didn't understand all the rules. When he had confronted her, he had learned she was completely illiterate.

That was Takara. Instead of telling him that she couldn't read she had instead studied the diagrams and tried to piece together the game. Shikamaru had attempted to teacher her how to read and write, but it was an uphill battle and essentially sought professional help in the form of Iruka who had graciously taken on the migraine spawning chore. Her inability to read was a problem, but if you showed her or verbally told her about something she would pick it up very fast. If he asked her to do something, Shikamaru knew Takara would put all of her effort into it. Of course, that characteristic made him a little worried about the lack of headway she was making with reading.

"Hey," Naruto call down the hallway, "You're late."

"Naruto," Tsunade called back, her tone sharp. "I am the Hokage. I am never late, time is just occasionally wrong. My office," she added as she brushed past both of them.

Shikamaru smile at Takara. "I'll be back soon." The girl didn't look up from the board and he tried not to analyze her reaction.

Tsunade sat down heavily in her chair and let out a long sigh. "Well, I can say I've learned a lot more but am none the wiser. The circus and his parent's names check out. That circus did leave the country about three months ago although we haven't found any missing persons reports about him, but that doesn't mean anything. As for how he got into the village itself, well were pretty sure he snuck in yesterday."

"You've already narrowed it down?" Shikamaru said surprised.

Tsunade nodded. "We think so. There was a family-owned caravan that came in the other day, lots of kids, all running around. It would've been easy to slip one more in."

"So he wasn't grabbed at random. They were looking for a kid because they knew one could slip through under the right circumstances," Naruto said.

"Yes, but it doesn't help us narrow down the list of guilty parties," Tsunade observed. "There's nothing new in a medical way so I think we sort of hit a wall there. As for the video we analyzed for micro-expressions." She let out a long sigh. "There is no evidence that he expressed any motions anger, fear or even recognition when Naruto walked into the room. As far as he was concerned you were a complete stranger."

For a moment there was silence before Shikamaru spoke. "So, were going to have to make something happen."

Tsunade swung her chair slightly towards him and lifted one of her eyebrows questioningly. "What do you suggest?"

"If you don't believe there's anything more we can learn medically, then I would suggest bringing the kid back to his parents. One of three things may happen. We may return the kid and get no further information, but at least he's not our problem. We may return the kid and gain some information about his disappearance. Or, "Shikamaru paused knowing what was about to be said would set off Naruto. "We might learn that his parents were involved in his kidnapping which would allow us to find a chain back to who's ever responsible."

"What type of parent would do that!" Naruto growled.

A lousy one or a desperate one Shikamaru thought to himself. "It's only a possibility and a slim one at that. Considering how little we know about the situation, it's important not to have any preconceived notions."

"Still," Naruto said trying to keep his temper down. "I want to be the one to take Ryoichi back."

That was a bad idea Shikamaru thought. Before he could argue, though, Tsunade spoke up.

"Naruto, you've put in for a genin team this year. They're graduating in three days so you won't be able to get back in time. It would be cruel to keep the team waiting for your return especially if you rejected them. Besides we have more volunteers this year then we will have teams so it would be doubly unfair."

Naruto examined the floor as if the answer would be there and slowly nodded. "You're right. I've already promised myself I'll always be on time for my team."

"A good choice Naruto and besides I'm sure Shikamaru will be more than capable of carrying out this mission," Tsunade said casually.

Shikamaru's head snapped toward Tsunade. When had he volunteered for this mission? "There are better ninjas then myself in reading others' reactions," he began only to be cut off.

"Yes, there are. That is why Ino will be accompanying you. On your way home I also want you to stop at Sunagakure with a copy of the information we obtained. This is one of those situations where I think comparing notes could be helpful. Ino will be helpful there too as she is a medical-nin."

Shikamaru was about to ask them why send him at all when he realized this whole meeting had already been planned by her. He tried to calculate how long the mission might take in his head and didn't like the number he came up with. "You're going to be classifying this as a C- rank mission right?"

The older woman nodded. "The pay grade will be on the higher end of that, but there doesn't seem to be any promise of imminent combat."

Shikamaru hesitated and then let out a long sigh."It will be troublesome, but I would like Takara to accompany me."

"She's your apprentice," Tsunade said. "I would advise against it, but I don't have grounds for interfering with your training methods."

"Thank you," Shikamaru said wondering if he had to explain his reasoning would she have grounds. Turning he headed for the door, but when he opened he nearly stepped on Takara who had been listening at the crack between the door and the floor. For a second they just stared at each other before Shikamaru muttered, "Troublesome" under his breath and stepped around her.

* * *

><p>A hour later Shikamaru ,Takara and Ino were sitting around a table at an outdoor teahouse discussing the upcoming mission.<p>

"It's mostly a fishing expedition," Shikamaru concluded. "I think I'm putting more hope that we'll find something in Sunagakure then we will find something at the circus."

"And you don't think it's odd that no one reported him missing?" Ino asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "A lot of those traveling shows are little worlds unto themselves. It's the same deal with some of those traveling caravans. They don't lay down roots anywhere and have a complicated relationship with local authorities. They're not always trusted or liked so they keep to themselves."

"Yeah," Takara seconded.

Shikamaru glanced at the girl wondering if she was agreeing with him from her own experiences or just simply agreeing with him.

"Maybe," Ino allowed. "Takara, could you get me a napkin?"

The girl glanced over at the kunoichi for several seconds before she said, "Why don't I just stand over there until you're finished talking about me?"

Before Shikamaru could scold her, Takara spun around on her stool and went to stand by the condiments table with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Shaking his head he said, "Sorry about that. I'll have a talk with her."

Ino who seemed a bit miffed ignored him. "Why are you bringing her along? This kid could still be dangerous. You suggested that we sleep in shifts in case you forgot already."

"Yeah, I remember. The possibility is slim. He might revert to that assassin personality." The possibility of there being three personalities in one body was interesting, the real, the assassin and innocent. He filed that idea away for later pondering. "Still, there are advantages to bring her along. Look at it from Ryoichi point of view."

"He has no idea how he got here. He surrounded by strangers. We tell him he's going home, but he has no reason to believe us. If I was in his place I might just run. If Takara is with us though, well she's a kid just like him. She could vouch that were not lying to him. They might even hit it off and he could tell her things he wouldn't tell us."

Ino sip at her tea. "I'll give you half credit. Your first suggestion has some merit but there's zero chance of the second. Their age difference is too great and there different genders. I'm guessing your reasoning is more personal."

Ino could be annoying at times. Choji would've realized that he was hiding something but unlike Choji, Ino would want him to say whatever it was. Instead of playing cat and mouse games, which she would enjoy, Shikamaru decided for the truth. "Takara has severe separation anxiety. We're working on it, but it's made more difficult by the fact that she has lost every important person in her life. If I left for an indefinite period it would be difficult for her. She hasn't had much luck in making friends and it's not like she would have much to fill her day."

"So instead of putting her through some mental anxiety, you intend to take her on a dangerous mission?"

"The combat potential is very low," Shikamaru said.

Ino seem to give that some thought and nodded. "It's not ideal, but given the first reason you gave me I won't complain."

* * *

><p>"So you're going to take me back to my parents?" Ryoichi asked hesitantly from his hospital bed.<p>

Ino glanced at Shikamaru before smiling at the boy. "Yes, you'll be back with your family in a few days."

Ryoichi shifted his gaze over the small group. Shikamaru could guess what was going through his head. While he had been told how he came to be here, he also had no compelling reason to believe them.

"So you didn't kidnap me?"

"Why would we want to do that?" Takara spoke up from Shikamaru's elbow.

He nudged her and she shrank away refusing to look up at him. "Sorry about her."He placed a large white bag on the bed. "These are the close you were brought in with they've been cleaned. You didn't have any money on you, but will take care of any expenses that come up until we get you back to your parents."

Ryoichi started to go through the bag and pulled out a dark red shirt. "I've never seen these before."

"Sorry, but they're what you came in with. Do you remember what you were wearing?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Overalls, I was helping to take down the tents. I..." he trailed off.

He waited a second before prompting, "You remember something?"

The boy hesitated before nodding. "I had just finished helping Oki take her tent down. She's an aunt of mine and the fortuneteller. Anyway, we were almost done and I was walking back when I saw this big feather drifting down, then I was here."

Shikamaru and Ino shared a look. They both remembered the Nehan Shoja no Jutsu that had been used during the finals of their first exam. That particular technique could be used on a very large scale. It would be something worth asking about when they arrived. Shikamaru decided to try to talk to Oki too since she was the last one to see him before his abduction.

"So, are you a performer too?" Shikamaru asked.

Ryoichi hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Yeah, of course. I'm up there with the rest of my family, well except for my little brothers. They'll be up there though eventually."

"Well, I'm sure your family will be happy to see you back," Ino chimed in.

"Yeah, when can we get going?" Ryoichi asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "The faster you get dressed the quicker we can get out of here."

"Yeah, you mind leaving for that?" Ryoichi ask.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru suspected that Ryoichi didn't fully believe they were taking him home until they had left the walls of the village. The boy's personality seemed to change almost instantly. He would run forward and do a cartwheel or some other minor acrobatic feat for no reason at all. Shikamaru found it a bit annoying and Takara either took her note from him or was equally unimpressed. Ino was more indulgent; she praised every series of back flips and cartwheels as if she had never done the same thing.<p>

Then he thought back to the chase and realized something he should have noticed a while ago. Most kids couldn't do that. How would Ryoichi have attack Naruto if he hadn't found him on the street? Naruto still lived in the same apartment that he had always had. In his mind's eye Shikamaru tried to see someone scurrying up the side of the building and climbing onto that little balcony of Naruto's. Would that be possible?

If that had been the plan it would imply a disturbing amount of familiarity with his village. He let that thought wander through his head as he tried to pick out other places Naruto would've been likely attack. Unfortunately besides home or the street he couldn't think of any likely locations. The thought was mostly speculation, but with the lack of facts he had it was a recurring one.

The day dragged on and Ryoichi only come down a little. They stopped at a clearing that Shikamaru and Ino had used before and set up camp. In this both Ryoichi will and Takara were equally useless. Ryoichi had no experience with setting up personal tents while Takara was equally uncertain what to do. At least Shikamaru had been prepared for the letter and ended up walking both of them through the necessary steps. It was almost pleasant. It would be the last time he would have that thought for a few days.

* * *

><p>"There it is!" Ryoichi shouted as the tip of a tent came into view. He broke into a run, pulling the others along.<p>

After five days on the road, the site of the multicolored tents filled Shikamaru's heart with joy. Not because of the wonder they promised, but the simple knowledge that Ryoichi would be departing his company forever. The boy's hyperactivity had not waned. Until this journey he had never quite appreciated how quiet Takara was.

Entering the circus ground Shikamaru noticed everything was set up, but unmanned in the morning hours. The lack of people gave him an uneasy feeling; it felt wrong, like a silent forest. Ryoichi made a beeline right for the largest tent entering with the rest of them steps behind.

Entering the tent the light level dropped dramatically and it took Shikamaru a second for his eyes to adjust.

"Mom!" Ryoichi cried running towards a woman who barely had enough time to turnaround before impact.

Even from this distance Shikamaru could see her shocked expression. He then heard to high-pitched squeals as two small boys abandoned some sort of climbing thing and rushed over to join the reunion. The group from Konoha stopped several steps away giving the family space for the little reunion. After a minute Ryoichi broke the embrace with his mom and scooped up his brothers. The boy was surprisingly strong, Shikamaru noticed.

"Mom, where's everyone else? I want to surprise them."

"There still in the wagon."

"Great," Ryoichi interrupted her before running off his two brothers in tow, leaving Shikamaru to introduce himself.

The woman stared after her son still stunned before slowly turning her gaze on them. Shikamaru smiled and stepped forward trying to seem nonthreatening. "Hello, I'm Shikamaru. I was tasked with making sure your son got back to you safely." The look he received was cold, so much so that he almost took a step backward.

"And where was he?" She had turned the question into an accusation. He felt offended and lost his voice.

Ino stepped forward. "Well to be honest we can only vouch for his location for the last couple of days. He only recently came to our village and after a brief stay at our hospital we set out to find you."

"Hospital! Was he hurt?"

She looked like she was just about to go after her son when Ino spoke again. "Physically he's fine and that's mostly thanks to Shikamaru here. Still, there is something we would like to tell you. Is there a place we can sit down?"

The woman hesitated before gesturing to the stamps. Shikamaru give a silent nod of thanks to Ino. She was better at people skills then he was. The three of them took seats, but the woman chose to stand her arms crossed.

"What's wrong with my son?"

"There's nothing physically wrong with him," Ino began, "he just can't remember where he's been until a few days ago."

"And why is that?" The woman tone was almost accusatory.

"That's what we would like to know," Shikamaru answered his tone matching her own.

Ino elbowed him in his side hard. "Forgive him. This situation is," she trailed off.

"Troublesome."Shikamaru supplied.

The woman's gaze went between the two of them. "I don't understand."

"He tried to kill someone." Takara announced firmly stomping her foot down on the elusive truth.

"Ryoichi would never hurt anyone. He won't even swat a fly."

There was a part of Shikamaru that always wanted to appease an angry woman. He blamed his mother. "No, we don't think he did it or at least we don't think he did it consciously. We think whoever kidnapped him trick him into it. He doesn't remember anything."

"Of course he doesn't. You damn ninjas can do whatever you want and there's nothing we can do about it is there? You take my son away and then bring him back months later. Damn you all." With that the woman kicked the bleachers before trading and storming off.

Shikamaru stood and stared after her stunt. Recovering himself he was about to chastised Takara when Ino spoke up. "Well she's certainly uncomfortable. She was just waiting for an excuse to storm off."

"What?" Shikamaru turned his attention towards Ino who seemed to be replaying something in her mind.

"Think about it. Your son has returned to you after months of being absent in apparent good health. She was happy at first, but you would think are euphoric state would've lasted if it did. Did you see her body language? She was very closed off."

"Maybe it's because we are ninjas?" Takara venture.

That idea brought a grimace to Ino's face and Shikamaru felt the same. Shikamaru was aware that his village at least tried to maintain a good friendly image, but not all Hidden Villages did that. The unaligned ninjas and missing-nin didn't help either.


	3. Sand Grains

Shikamaru felt a migraine coming on. The rest of the circus employees were not as hostile as Ryoichi's mother, but they weren't friendly either. Perhaps it was because he was an outsider, or maybe because they were busy setting up for tonight. Once the customers had started filing in, he pretty much had given up hope on interviewing anyone else. About the only thing of interest he had learned was that Ryoichi wasn't considered particularly talented as acrobats went.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a loud slurping sound and glanced over at Takara. "It's empty."

"I like the sound."She replied, slurping again.

Deciding it wasn't worth an argument, he let it go. There was a burst of static in his ear quickly followed by Ino's voice. "I think we have something. She just left by the front entrance and her first performance is in an hour."

Shikamaru responded, "I'm on my way." Takara rose as he stood. "Stay here, I'll be back within the hour."

"Fine."She snapped, plopping back down on the bench.

He started to push his way through the growing crowd, trying to draw as little suspicion towards himself as he could. Flipping his radio back on, he said. "Ino, what's going on."

Ino's voice came over the radio barely above a whisper. "Yeah, she's running. Well, not literally but definitely picking up the pace and she keeps looking behind herself. I'm in the woods now so am pretty sure she hasn't seen me."

"I'll come up from behind. We need to stop her, but let's try to keep our distance."

Ino acknowledged and Shikamaru broke into a run.

As he left the circus he could just see her on the horizon walking towards the nearby village. He started after her, allowing her to get a little further away from the circus. When he was within 20 paces of her, Ino stepped out in front of her. The woman stopped in her tracks, went to turn around, and saw him.

Shikamaru was ready to grab her with his shadow, but she just looked between the two of them and let out a curse before breaking into tears.

"What do you want from me! Why won't you leave me alone!"

When interrogating someone sometimes it was best to be nice, it was easier on them and yourself. However, sometimes it's not the best course. Being mean, cruel, even is sometimes the best way. Shikamaru knew it would be a lot harder on him, but someone filled with anger needed a direction for it.

"You're lying to us. You know who took your son, that's why you're running away now."

The woman's eyes brimmed with hatred as she stared at Shikamaru "He was wearing a mask. I never saw his face he just kept asking questions. I couldn't lie, I couldn't do anything."

"What were the questions you were asked?"

"They were about Ryoichi. I knew they were taking him, I couldn't stop them."

"Them? How many?"

Her shoulder slumped. "Two, maybe three. One of them did all the talking. I could hear another one of them whispering sometimes, and sometimes it was like they were listening to something. Like they had a radio."

"I see." Shikamaru didn't think she was lying. She seemed exhausted, emotionally wrung out. "We are going. Go back to your family, if they didn't kill you then, they're not going to now."

Without saying a word, he turned back around and went back to the circus. Ino fell into step beside him. It was a moment before she spoke. "Bit harsh."

Shikamaru let out a long sigh. "She was angry and scared. I gave her a target."

Ino was silent until they were about to reenter the circus, "Well, at least something good might come from that."

* * *

><p>Sunagakure was by far the most difficult of the hidden villages to travel to. Over the years, Shikamaru had traveled to all the major villages and most of the minor ones on some business or another. None were as inaccessible as Sunagakure. It was the most secured hidden village, but the cost of running it was higher and it made it more difficult on any potential clients. In recent years they had actually opened an office in a more accessible village and then forwarded the information to the Sunagakure.<p>

They still ran a convoy out to the village for those who wanted to travel to the village but were wary of crossing the desert alone. If it had just been himself and Ino, he would have foregone the convoy and headed directly to the village. Takara was with them, though, and she wasn't up to a demanding trip like that yet. The extra two days traveling in convoy was not much of a delay, but Takara was in a sour mood because of the heat.

If he had been asked, Shikamaru would have acknowledged that taking her on this trip was not one of his better decisions, but the young girl certainly wouldn't be any happier if he had left her back in the village. She really was troublesome. In the end, though, they had arrived at their destination safely and now they were just waiting outside of the Kazekage's door for nearly an hour.

The door opened loudly, hinges squeaking and pulling everyone's attention towards it. Three men walked out followed by Kankuro. He had changed his facial painting again. The man's eyes flicked over the small group before obviously resting next to him, on Takara, Shikamaru remembered his general dislike for kids.

"Sorry for the wait. Come on in."

Gaara was standing by a window overlooking the village and turned to acknowledge them as they entered. "Shikamaru, I understand I owe you thanks for saving my friend's life."

"I was just in the right spot at the right time."

"Yes, I was hoping you could elaborate though. I received a message summarizing what happened and that you would be requesting information from us. By necessity, the message was sparse on details."

Shikamaru nodded, having expected this. "The assassin was a 12-year-old boy with no ninja training. We believe he slipped into the village and the convoy. The weapon he attempted to stab Naruto with was coated with a poison that could very well have killed him."

Gaara nodded. "What exactly was the poison?"

Shikamaru waited for Ino to answer that. "It doesn't seem to be any one specialty. All the ingredients are fairly common at least for ninja."

"Did you bring a sample?" Kankuro asked. "If it was specially made even from common ingredients we might be able to figure out who made it."

"I brought a sample, but I'm pretty sure you won't have much better luck than us."

Even without turning his head, Shikamaru could tell Ino was wearing a false smile. Their villages may be close allies, but professional pride knew no loyalties. "There is also one other thing we would appreciate your assistance with." He paused for half of a second, wishing he was a diplomat. "We only found traces of whatever was controlling the kid. It's eerily close, at least in action, to a technique that Sasori used. He never participated in any of the research efforts here-"

"You're not accusing us of being involved, are you?" Kankuro interjected.

Shikamaru smiled. "We don't believe your village was involved in any way. We just think the technique was similar and it might give us something to look for. Parallel development, I think it's called."

Gaara was silent for a long moment. "I admit, I know of no particular project off the top of my head. For a brief time I had a fascination with Sasori, but he left our village far too soon to be involved in any research projects. Still, I will ask our archivists. Why don't the three of you join me for dinner tonight? I should have information for you by then. Kankuro, I'm sure you'll handle the sample."

"Thank you, Kazekage." He said.

Taking as the end of their meeting, Ino handed the sample over to Kankuro and they made their way out the door. When they were about halfway back to their assigned quarters, Takara broke her silence.

"That guy is dangerous."

Shikamaru looked down at her, slightly amused. "So, that's why you were so quiet? He's one of the strongest ninjas you've ever met, but as long as you're not a threat to him or anything he cares about, he is completely harmless."

Takara was silent for a moment. "Still sends a shiver up my spine."

* * *

><p>One of the things that Shikamaru didn't like about Sunagakure was that it didn't allow him to indulge in his favorite pastime of cloud watching. The sky remained an unrelenting blue with not even a wisp of water vapor to wrap one's imagination around. With Ino in the lab with the sample, he was left alone with Takara. He spent part of that time telling her about Gaara, hoping to replace her fear with understanding, but decided that was a failure. Instead, he turned the conversation to history, most notably Sunagakure, which seem to be a tad more interesting to her.<p>

A messenger came to collect them for dinner. Takara chose, unsurprisingly, to tag along. With Ino still in the lab, it would just be the two of them. Most ninjas preferred to be informal when given the chance. Even though he was meeting a head of the village on business, the room they were led to was fairly small and Gaara was already there. He rose to greet them.

"Shikamaru, I had people digging through the archives and I might have found something that might be of use to you."

"Thank you," Shikamaru said, taking the offered seat.

A moment later, the door opened and a woman pushing a cart entered and placed salads in front of them. She had a considerable limp and Shikamaru wondered if it was from an old injury.

"Kankuro won't be joining us?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, he's still in the lab with Ino."

Shikamaru waited for the woman to leave. "So, what did you find out?"

Gaara uncapped a bottle of salad dressing and poured it liberally over his salad. "About 30 years ago, there was a project." He started spearing some of his food. "The project was called Rainbow, and like all codenames, it had nothing whatsoever to do with the project. Its purpose was to create human puppets."

"Human puppets?" Takara asked.

Gaara nodded. "It's the best way to describe the goal."

"You remember what I told you about how they use puppets, Takara, right? They use them to fight, but I'm not exactly sure I see the advantage unless we are talking about sleeper agents here?" Shikamaru said, glancing at Gaara questioningly.

"Yes, that was exactly it. Quite disturbingly close to Sasori's technique. Of course, he wasn't ever attached to the project, this was after he left. It was rather distasteful work but I could see the reasoning behind it. You capture someone, then either set them free or have them escape and then you have an assassin that can get close to your target and..." Gaara gave a little shrug as he took another bite of his food.

Shikamaru could imagine. You capture an enemy ninja and then arrange for him to escape. Who would suspect? It didn't even have to be a ninja. It could be a government official or even a family member. "How long would it take to," he paused not sure of the right word to use. "For it to be effective?"

Gaara finished chewing before shaking his head. "They were still in the early stages of research and development. Some thought they could get it down to a few days but most thought it would always take months."

"I think you could kidnap someone, do what you need to do, and then send them back to do the assassination. Double pay!" Takara blurted out.

Shikamaru glanced at his young apprentice, a little concerned. Her idea wasn't technically impossible, but the fact she had come up with it so quickly was not the most comforting thought.

Gaara coughed. "Yes, I believe that was one of their ideas. The project was canceled within the same year it was created, so there really isn't much on it."

"Why was it canceled?" Takara asked.

Perhaps he shouldn't have tried to get her over her fear of Gaara, Shikamaru thought to himself.

"Budget cuts," Gaara said, with just the corners of his mouth rising.

Shikamaru found himself smiling. It was an old problem and one he had never really quite appreciated until he had been reluctantly given more responsibility. Money was not an infinite commodity, but few chose to acknowledge that fact.

Gaara coughed again and Shikamaru frowned. "Are you okay?"

Gaara nodded. "There's just something caught in my throat."

His voice sounded a bit strange, but when he raised his glass of water to drink he coughed again and several specks of blood stained the clean water. Everyone froze for a second before Gaara coughed more violently this time. Gaara had raised his hand to cover his mouth, but blood dripped out through his fingers.

Shikamaru stood and was at Gaara's side as he doubled over in a coughing fit. "Takara, get one of the guards."

Takara jumped out of her chair and darted towards the door, disappearing in the blink of an eye leaving and Shikamaru with a coughing Gaara. There was little he could do except to hold the former jinchuriki in his chair so he wouldn't fall to the floor. A moment later, two ninjas rushed into the room, one obviously a medical-nin. Shikamaru pushed his back against the wall to give them room. In their haste to move Gaara to the hallway where there would be more room to work, they knocked over the plate Gaara had been eating from.

It was only after they were in the hallway that Shikamaru thought to look down at the ruined meal and noticed something odd. There was something catching the light that didn't look right. Bending down, he put a finger in the salad dressing and felt something hard and small. He pulled it free of the multicolored liquid and then raised it on his fingertip. It was a tiny sliver of glass. The plate was ceramic and no glass had been broken.

He was just about to shout what he had found when there was an explosion somewhere far away that sent a small shockwaves through the building.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru was all too aware of his situation. He was a foreign ninja who had been alone with the Kazekage when he had almost been assassinated. In a different time and place, he wouldn't be sitting in the guest quarters with Ino and Takara.<p>

"So what exactly happened?" Takara asked all of a sudden. "I mean you told me, but glass?"

Shikamaru glanced at Ino, who smiled. "Well, Takara. What seems to have happened is someone tried to poison Gaara. They put ground-up glass in his salad dressing. It's a very unusual way to try to assassinate someone, but not unheard of. Trouble is they didn't grind it fine enough, and instead of it going through the entire digestive system, it started cutting up his esophagus. When you swallow, you see, your esophagus pushes the food down. If it was done properly it would've only done slight damage there, not enough to be noticed."

"Someone really tried it before?" Shikamaru jumped into the conversation.

Ino leaned back in her chair. "There's this book on unusual poisonings. It's strongly suggested reading for most medical-nin, at least from our village. They mentioned an example of it. A wife of a daimyo used it to kill her husband about 50 years ago using the method. She ground-up glass very finely and sprinkled it on his food. The next morning, though, he was in great pain and was bleeding from just about everywhere. They weren't sure what was wrong with him until an autopsy revealed numerous small cuts throughout his entire digestive system. The woman received a pardon by her son, by the way."

"Nice family," Shikamaru muttered. "So, what do you think went wrong here then?"

Ino shrugged. "They were probably hoping to do more damage in the digestive system. Once it got to that stage, even an expert would have trouble trying to save him."

Shikamaru was just about to ask how that was possible when there was a knock at the door. Being the closest, he stood to answer it. The ninja standing there was obviously a Jonin and looked to be in his late 50s.

"Shikamaru, I have some questions for you."

Forcing a smile, he glanced behind himself before stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind him. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Assistance?" The man said not introducing himself. "Yes, well I would like to hear what you think happened."

Shikamaru realized he had to tread lightly. The way the question was worded alone told him this man thought he had something to do with it.

"My apprentice and I were having a dinner meeting with the Kazekage. He was relaying some information to us as he ate his salad. He coughed as he related some of the information. At first, I thought he was just having a little food stuck in his throat, but it got worse until he coughed up blood. I told my apprentice to get help while I tried to steady him."

The man nodded. "The person who brought in the food, did you notice anything odd about her?"

Shikamaru thought trying to remember. "She had a limp, but that was really the only thing I noticed about her. Did she have something to do with that explosion?"

The man's expression remained completely neutral as he went on. "So, how did you find the glass again?"

It took considerable effort on Shikamaru's part not to sigh. Being the one interrogated was troublesome. "The plate was knocked to the floor, and once Gaara was being tended to, I noticed a piece catch the light."

"Convenient," the man said in a flat tone. "It's a very peculiar way of assassination. I only found two such references to it. Both times it was fatal, though, the people who ingested it died days afterwards."

Shikamaru weighed the pros and cons of telling the man Ino's theory about it not being ground fine enough, but would that make him look more guilty or innocent? It occurred to him that he might be being set up. Blame the outsider was a common enough reaction. He was saved from answering by the arrival of a third person.

"Ouga, what business do you have here?"

Both men turned their heads to see Temari walking down the hallway. She was covered in dirt and looked exhausted but sill carried herself with a confident air. Her oversized fan that was usually attached to her back was noticeably absent.

"I could ask the same of you," the man Shikamaru now knew as Ouga replied.

"I have been tasked by two Council members to get this man's statement. Orders, I'm positive, you do not have."

From the corner of his eye, Shikamaru could see the slip of Ouga's mask of calm for only a fraction of a second before he recovered. "With my immediate superior incapacitated, I am authorized to act on my own."

Temari smiled as she came to a stop in front of them. "My brother woke up a few minutes ago. Perhaps you should see what his official orders might be for you."

Without excusing himself, Ouga glanced at Shikamaru and walked down the hallway. Shikamaru and Temari watched him until he disappeared around the corner. Then Shikamaru turned towards Temari. "I thought I wouldn't be seeing you this trip."

"I just got back an hour ago. I heard the news about my brother and rushed here, then heard about you." She let out a small sigh. "It is so strange to see him hurt. I know he doesn't have the protection like he used to, but still."

"I know. Someone tried to attack Naruto and almost succeeded."

"What? I didn't hear about that." Temari snapped.

Shikamaru remembered she had been out on a mission and filled her in on the last few days of his activities. Temari nodded when he was finished.

"So there's a connection. One current Kage and a future Kage. Both times the assassins at least tried to kill themselves afterwards."

"I'm sorry, what? I haven't heard anything about that, you know who tried to kill Gaara?"

Temari blinked at him from moment. "Yes, once everyone realized there was a poisoning, or that's what the alert said, everyone who was involved with the preparation of food was detained. Mikka, the person who brought him his food, blew herself up when they tried to detain her."

So that was the explosion he had heard. A few exploding tags under her clothing perhaps? It was more effective than diving off of a building.

"Anyway," Temari continued. "I should go get the authority I just claimed I had. Be careful what you say around Ouga. He's an Old Guard type.

Shikamaru nodded. "What is he exactly?"

"Ouga is the Chief Investigator of Interesting Events and People."

* * *

><p>authors note :Sorry for the long delay<p> 


	4. Suspects

Author's note: apologies for the late update. Both ill health and tragedy has delayed writing.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru leaned back into the shadows, pressing his back against the stonewall hoping to dissipate some of the heat. He, Ino and Takara were using one of the small training areas. More accurately, though, Takara was using it while Shikamaru and Ino watched.<p>

"Keep your wrist straight, Takara." Shikamaru called out as she prepared to throw another kunai. He didn't expect her to acknowledge his advice, but the next throw was a little better.

"You like teaching," Ino observed.

Shikamaru thought about his response for a minute. "It's like Shogi. You have a goal, but you have to make a series of moves to accomplish it."

"And Takara is your opponent?"

He shook his head. "No, failure is. I win by seeing her reach her maximum potential."

"I'm always impressed by the way you can compare everything to Shogi. Makes me wonder why you never got more involved in politics. People always say it's the greatest game."

"It's not." Shikamaru shifted his weight, his mind had been shifting towards that since Temari and he had talked.

"So, you think politics play into this situation?Think things are finally heating up between the old and new guard?" Ino asked.

He let out a long sigh. "I don't know."

"What exactly is old and new guard?" Takara asked without looking over at them.

"She has good hearing," Ino muttered under her breath.

Ignoring his old teammates comment, Shikamaru called out. "Come over here and I'll explain it as best as I can."

Takara threw her last two kunai in quick succession before plopping down next to him, taking a long swig from her thermos. "All right, explain."

Shikamaru rubbed his nose. "Well, you know how the village system works. Ninjas make up the primary fighting force of any given country. A strong hidden village equals a strong country. When countries go to war it's the villages that do most of the fighting. Several years ago, there was a threat that united all the villages together, at least temporarily."

"Yeah, you told me about that." Takara reminded him.

"Yes, well, Naruto played a pretty big part in that. It's one of the reasons he's going to be the next Hokage. Now this is where things start to get complicated. There are some ninjas who liked fighting together. They don't necessarily want to form one large village, but at least not fight each other. I guess you could say they want to form something like an international police force. Some people refer to them as the New Guard, but that's not really official or anything." He paused for a second, trying to think up a better way to describe it before deciding to qualify it. "That's an analogy that is not completely accurate."

Takara nodded and Shikamaru knew she was being honest. Whenever Takara didn't understand a word she asked. He had been just like that as a child and had never realized how annoying it could be, especially when she was just eavesdropping in on a conversation. His parents found it amusing, though.

"As for Old Guard, they really don't want to see a change. Sometimes they might be referred to as Traditionalists. Now to make things more complicated, some people are in between. Pretty much, if you can imagine a combination between those two extreme points of view, there's someone who thinks that's the right way."

"So, why don't the people who want to form a police force just go off and do that and let everyone do what they want?" Takara asked.

Shikamaru ignored Ino's smile, she was enjoying this too much. "Well, partly because that wouldn't work. Say one village had 30% of its ninjas who want to join the police force, but another only had 5%. It would throw the balance of power off. Then you have some clans who would fear losing their secrets or their identity as a clan."

Takara dismissed this with a shrug of her shoulders. "So that's what Naruto is going to do?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "He doesn't really have a concrete plan. It's just more of his way of thinking." When he and Naruto talked about it, Naruto was a little put off by what some people thought he was doing. "He just wouldn't prosecute a war like they have been in the past. Of course, his way of thinking becomes the way he's going to act and it worries some people. Most think it's just sort of a dream and don't worry about it."

"I guess that explains Naruto, but what about Gaara?" Takara asked, looking up at him.

"Gaara and he are close personally and most think they would be close allies. I'm not exactly sure where Gaara stands on the whole issue though." Shikamaru could hear someone approaching. The conversation was coming to a natural end, but it would look suspicious to a newcomer. "So, Takara, what do you think?"

Takara thought for a moment and Shikamaru could hear whoever it was come down the stairs. He didn't turn to greet them because Takara was shaking her head. "There's too much stuff I don't know. Old guard, new guard? I just learned about them."

"That's a very good answer." Temari said, walking into Shikamaru's peripheral vision and confirming they had been listening. "Knowing you don't know enough can be a hard thing to realize."

"True," Ouga said, coming to a stop one step in front of Temari and looking directly at Shikamaru. "But I would be interested in hearing your take on the subject."

There was danger here, Shikamaru knew it. "I don't have a problem with the philosophy, but I think there would be some structural difficulties. However, I know Naruto and I've learned not to bet against him. Of course, because I know him, I also know he sees it more as a philosophy than any structural change." Naruto probably wouldn't have put it that way. To him, you do the right thing because it's the right thing.

Ouga remained still as a statue. "And you, Yamanaka?"

Ino shrugged. "I fought in one war, didn't like it. That said, I don't think you can outlaw war."

Shikamaru wondered if that was what she really felt, or did she recognize the danger they were in, too? It wasn't something he identified himself as, but both of them came from clans, even if small ones.

Ouga had begun to open his mouth to ask another question when Temari cut him off. "We didn't come here to interrogate you, we came here to announce that it has been decided that you should be allowed to continue your investigation into the assassination attempt on Naruto. However, until you're all cleared of any involvement in our own assassination, you will not be permitted to leave the village."

"I'm assuming you've informed Konoha?" Ino asked.

"Of course," Ouga interjected. "We are currently in lockdown. Except for official dispatches, nothing in and nothing out."

"Hopefully this won't interfere with your research," Temari spoke up to take control of the conversation. "We've collected all of project Rainbows files and set them aside in one of the archive rooms for your perusal. If you need any additional documents or assistance the archivist will assist you. The archives are located at the bottom of the building you are staying at. They have your descriptions. Best of luck with your investigation, and if you need anything else, you know who to ask."

"Thank you for your assistance." Shikamaru made sure his tone was professional knowing that Ouga would interpret everything he said and did. Temari excused herself and Ouga followed after.

Shikamaru wasn't sure what to make of Ouga. On the face of it he could see why he would be a suspect, and, in fact, if Ouga wasn't considering him as a suspect, he would be remiss in his duties. The trouble would be if he started to fixate on him, which would also make him remiss in his duties. The part of his brain that always looked for the unexpected realized that if Ouga was part of the assassination attempt, pinning it on him would be the next best thing.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru closed the last personnel file and carefully placed it on top of a pile. The files had made for dull reading. The three researchers and four assistants had not been remarkable people. Reading through their files twice had taken a little less than an hour, and that had included a bathroom break.<p>

He glanced up at Ino, who was going through the medical files. "Anything useful on your end?" Shikamaru asked.

Ino shook her head. "Lots of theory, but I don't think they actually got that far with experiments. I only came across one experiment where they were having people do small things they weren't aware of. Nothing complex like what we've seen. How are things on your end?"

"The people involved with this project seem to have been a bit unlucky. Only two of the seven of them are alive. Two died on combat missions, the last one seven years ago. One committed suicide ten years ago while another died of cancer three years ago and the last one died only a few weeks ago of a heart attack at the age of 76. Noteworthy, but not automatically suspicious." A 71% casualty rate from any one group was high but the deaths were spread out over such a time that it didn't seem suspicious.

"Were all of their bodies accounted for?" Ino asked.

"Yes," Shikamaru answered. If one of them had gone missing, that would've provided an actual lead.

"Does that mean you're going to talk to the other two?" Takara asked.

Shikamaru turned around and looked at his apprentice who was lying on the floor, using the book she was supposed to be reading as a pillow. "Hopefully, but not until you actually try reading a little." Takara groaned as he turned his attention back to his old teammate. "So, are you thinking this is a dead-end?"

Ino didn't answer at first, but slowly she shook her head. "I'm not sure. I mean, just using this data, I don't see how someone could do it, but if they started with this data perhaps they were onto something. The idea is here, but just the seed of it. Aside from test subjects, though, there's really nothing special that is required."

Shikamaru felt a shiver go up his spine at the mention of test subjects. "Who were they using?"

"Volunteers," Ino said, picking the file up again before slamming it down. "Shikamaru!" He flinched at her tone. "You know human experimentation is necessary. I have even volunteered to be a subject once myself."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply-"

Ino waved him silent. "I know you didn't." She let out a little sigh. "It's just people just assumed things and it's frustrating. We try to save lives, not destroy them."

Shikamaru didn't know what to say in the silence that followed and then there was a short laugh. "She told you."

"Tell me, Ino, were we ever that disrespectful to our sensei?" Shikamaru didn't look over his shoulder, but knew his words had struck hard. Takara put up a tough front, however, that didn'tmean she was indifferent. If he even hinted at disapproval, she reacted. He had learned that the hard way. He only used it when she stepped over the line and felt bad for doing it. There was no right way to teach like there was no right way to parent. You accustom your strategy to the child and not the other way around. That was something he had learned from Asuma.

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably and addressed Ino. "Do you think it would be worthwhile to look up the test subjects? Might they have some knowledge?"

"Doubtful. Test subjects are usually given the minimal amount. If, for example, you were testing a new drug, you would divide the initial test group into two groups. One would be given a placebo and the other the real drug. That way there's no subconscious reactions and in the test like this that would be devastating. The subjects were given numbers, so it's just the even-numbered people in one group and the odds in the other."

"So there are only two people to talk to." Shikamaru said, standing. "I'll go request their personnel files so we can see where they are now."

* * *

><p>Sunagakure's hospital was a single story building, which surprised Shikamaru at first. That was until he realized, instead of building up, they had built down. Once he started to think about it, it made sense. The big rock walls provided ample protection and didn't burn. In that aspect, it was probably safer than Konoha's hospital.<p>

Arata was now the head of the rehabilitation wing here. He had been one of the assistants to the three researchers on projects Rainbow. At the time he had been young, and he had gone on to have an uneventful career. He was a medical-nin who, after the research project, had been transferred to the hospital and had apparently not taken on any missions since. That wasn't unheard of for people in his profession.

The receptionist was nice enough to direct the three of them down one level to the floor below. Waiting by the elevator to go down, the doors opened to reveal Temari and Ouga standing there. There was a moment of mutual surprise before Ouga spoke. "Hello again, what business do you have here?"

The elevator doors started to close, and for one childish moment, Shikamaru imagined the man disappearing so they wouldn't have to deal with him. Unfortunately, it was his hand that shot out to keep the doors open. "There are only two living members of project Rainbow. One of them works here. We were hoping he would be able to fill in some details. What brings you here? I hope nothing's wrong."

Temari answered this time. "Mikka had physical therapy here."

He struggled for second trying to remember where he had heard that name before. "The assassin? I recall her having a considerable limp."

"It was an injury she sustained almost two years ago on a mission. It seems she had been quite depressed recently." Ouga said. "Now we must be going."

Shikamaru stepped aside to let the two of them pass, but not before noticing the look Temari gave Ouga. As the elevator doors closed, he had the uneasy feeling that there was something more going on here.

The rehabilitation room took up the entire second floor. It was one large open room with various pieces of equipment and several people. Some people were patients, others worked there. One man with salt-and-pepper hair was sitting on one of the pieces of equipment. He looked a bit ruffled, like he had just answered some unpleasant questions. Taking an educated guess, Shikamaru said, "Arata, may I have a moment of your time."

The older man startled and looked up at them. He frowned. "What do you want?"

Shikamaru tried a small smile. "I have some questions for you. It's about a project you worked on years ago called Rainbow."

Arata smiled. "Are you looking in for a joint research project?"

That had not been one of the answers Shikamaru had anticipated, but he decided to roll with it. "We are just looking into the project now. What can you tell us about it?"

It was rare that Shikamaru felt lost, but for Arata, project Rainbow wasn't just a project that had been discarded decades ago, it had become a cornerstone of his life. He wasn't obsessed with assassinations, but the idea that it could help people recover from head injuries. From what he heard, the brain, if damaged, could rewrite itself. Children were better at this than adults and females better than males. He thought project rainbow could've taken advantage of this. How exactly was beyond Shikamaru, but Arata was convinced the research could help people. After a while of this, though, Shikamaru wished he could be like Takara. She had wandered off and started amusing herself with a larger rubber ball.

"Thank you, we think we have enough information." Shikamaru blurted out as soon there was a lull in the conversation.

"Well if I can be of any further assistance I would be more than happy to provide you with any information I can." Arata said, grinning.

Shikamaru nodded, but then his curiosity got the better of him. "I heard Mikka was a patient here? Is that true?"

Arata's expression fell as he looked down at his hands. "Yes, she was a patient here. A very sad case. She was very badly injured on a mission two years ago." He looked down and to the right. "There are a lot of factors that can affect recovery. I was aiming for her to get 50% of her movement back, but she was determined to fully recover. She had a standing appointment and had been skipping them for about two weeks now. I was starting to worry about her, but I never thought she would do something like that."

It was a simple scenario, Shikamaru thought. Anyone losing control of their body could be devastated by it and a ninja's identity was tied into their body. There techniques, their ability to move. To be demoted to be merely serving food would be a devastating blow. However, why did she do it in a roundabout way? Did she want the man who had sent her on that mission to suffer or was she being controlled? Why risk walking in with all those explosive under her? Her reasoning would be sound, but her technique was flawed.

"Why do those doors open the wrong way?" Takara asked from where she was laying on a ball.

Everyone glanced over at Takara, and then followed her finger to a set of double doors that swung inwards. There was a carpet in front of it with some red stains that didn't look like old blood. Shikamaru looked around and noticed the few other doors that led to bathrooms and offices. "What do you mean, Takara?"

Takara bit her lower lip, a habit of hers when she was trying to explain something. "Your doors swing inwards when you go from a crowded area to a less crowded area. We're in a big room so the door should swing outwards. Right?"

Shikamaru had to think for a minute before realizing she was right. It was a matter of perspective. If you were trying to leave the bathroom you would pushed the door towards yourself, but if you are entering the bathroom he would push the door away from you. It made sense for the door to open on the side where it was least likely to hit someone.

"Oh, that is the entrance to the tunnel network." Arata said casually.

"Tunnel network?" Ino asked?

Arata shrugged. "That's right; you're not from around here. You've probably never seen one of our sandstorms. You notice how we're surrounded by a rock wall? Well, occasionally we get hit by a sandstorm. They can last for days, but that doesn't mean we can just stop in our tracks. There's a series of tunnels connecting all the buildings. They parallel the streets." He shrugged, "It's not exactly a secret. That's our entrance to them. Most people don't use them unless there's a sandstorm because you end up collecting red dust on your sandals."

That explained the stains, Shikamaru thought. "Well, thank you for your time. We will be going now. There's another person we have to talk to. "

* * *

><p>The trio's next destination was the residence of Kanaye. He was the oldest living member of project Rainbow and had retired several years ago. Shikamaru was expecting some old man to answer but instead it was a woman slightly older than himself.<p>

"How can I help you?" She said.

"We're here to see Kanaye, is he in?"

An expression flickered across the woman's face too fast for him to catch, then she was smiling. "Perhaps I can be of assistance. I'm his daughter, Chika. What do you need from him?"

Shikamaru didn't hesitate. These interviews were on thin ice and giving pause would only give a person time to consider. "We have some questions about a project he worked on years ago. We really do need to talk to him."

This time, Chika's expression fell. "I'm sorry, well... " she shook her head and opened the door all the way. "It'll be easier if I just show you."

Shikamaru glanced at Ino, not liking where this was going. However, instead of being led to a bedroom like he had feared, they were led to the back of the house, which had a greenhouse attached to it. There, an old man sat trimming a tomato plant.

"Father," Chika said a bit too loudly, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "These people are here to talk to you about when you were a ninja. You remember being a ninja, right?"

The man looked around as if for a second he was trying to place where the voice was coming from before locking on to his daughter's face. "A ninja?" Kanaye questioned before repeating in a more cheery voice. "Yes, I was a ninja!" He turned to face them, "I'm a ninja."

"You were." His daughter corrected, patting him on the shoulder. She looked over at them and smiled sadly.

Ino spoke up. "Thank you for your time sir. We will be going."

Kanaye smiled, "Come again?"

Chika gestured them out of the room, and with a surprising amount of relief, Shikamaru was happy to oblige, pulling a stunned Takara with him.

"My father isn't in any position to answer any questions, as you can see." Chika said in a low voice when they were a safe distance away. "If there's anything I could do, though…"

"It's all right," Shikamaru said. "We'll see ourselves out."

The three of them stepped back outside into the heat. Shikamaru let out a sigh. "Well, that was a dead-end."

"Yes, but Arata struck me as interesting. He's been doing some research on the side. I bet if I could chat him up, I would be able to find a little more. You know, as one professional to another."

"It can't hurt." Shikamaru said. He tried to think of what else to do when Takara pulled on his arm. "Yeah?"

"That guy had the same red stains on his sandals that the hospital rug had."


	5. No Trust

Sunagakure baked in the day and froze at night. Of the two, Shikamaru wasn't sure which he preferred. Takara preferred the night, there was no doubt about that. Back at home, she was often outside in the back garden at night and he had found her sleeping there more than once. Stargazing seemed to have become her form of cloud watching.

"I still think that guy's faking." Takara spoke up from where she sat.

"I thought you were asleep." Shikamaru said, glancing over at her.

She climbed to her feet and joined him at the railing. "Not while we're arguing. Isn't that the secret to a happy relationship? Don't go to bed angry. Your father said, that didn't he?"

"He was referring to marriage and I'm not angry at you." Shikamaru answered. "Besides, I'm not saying you're wrong, just there are other possibilities. Maybe he wandered off? People can get like that. " There had been no mention of any mental deterioration in Kanaye's personnel file, but if it had happened after he retired it wouldn't be in his file. Some people might have kept it out of his file altogether if that was the reason for his retirement.

"It makes sense." Takara said, but there was something distinctively pleading in her tone.

"I'm not exactly sure we have is what you would call evidence yet." Shikamaru was spared from any further discussion by the sound of the door opening. He turned to greet Ino and found she wasn't alone. "Temari?"

"We met up in the hallway." Ino supplied.

Temari nodded. "Do you have a moment? There are some things I would like to discuss."

He nodded, and with Takara content to stay out on the balcony, they sat around the small table. "What's on your mind?" Shikamaru started.

Temari leaned back in her chair and folded her arms in a defensive posture. "Ouga is of the opinion that Mikka acted alone. She was depressed and wanted revenge. That's his theory at least, and on the surface it looks all right. She didn't have any close friends or family. The people she worked with described her as an unhappy person, but I'm not so sure. Not that she was unhappy, but just the whole scenario."

"Like why risk the exploding tags?" Shikamaru asked.

She waved a hand in dismissal. "I wouldn't want to be captured in that situation. No, the thing is, although people described her as unhappy, no one described her as depressed or angry at anyone in particular."

"She could have kept it bottled up." Ino suggested.

"Yes and if it wasn't for the attempt on Naruto's life I would probably agree."

Shikamaru didn't see a problem there. Two assassinations close to each other of well-known and powerful ninjas was suspicious. However, he couldn't help but wonder why Temari was coming to him with this?

"Right," Shikamaru leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. "Now, the way I see it there's two possibilities. Either it was someone within one of our two villages or someone on the outside."

Ino let out a loud laugh. "Obviously." She then quickly covered her mouth, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, I had a little to drink with Arata. He's pretty smart, shame he ruined it by hitting on me."

"Care to catch me up, Shikamaru?" Temari's tone was low and dangerous.

Shikamaru forced a smile. "The documents you provided us were helpful, but they revealed that the projects were in its very early stages. So we talked to the two remaining members of the research team. Arata openly admitted he was interested in continuing the project while Kanaye isn't all there."

Temari grimaced. "I can't speak for the other man, but I know Arata. I doubt more than a few weeks ever go by without him making some sort of request. It's true my father neglected the hospital, but Gaara has been more generous. Of course, that just makes them want more."

"And what's wrong with that?" Ino demanded. "The hospital is the last place you should be cutting funding from."

"If they were receiving 100% of the budget, they still would demand more." Temari snapped back.

"Please!" Shikamaru raised his voice just loud enough for it to be noticed. "I don't desire a higher rank than I have now specifically so I don't have to deal with problems like this. We're here to discuss whether either of these two men could be involved in either assassination. At least that's what I think we are here for."

Both of the women looked a little contrite, and in truth, Shikamaru wouldn't know who to side with. The hospital indeed was one of the most vital resources of any village, but at the same time he didn't think there was a department head that ever declined a raise in their budget.

"My apologies" Ino said. "Anyway, Arata did say something interesting when I was talking to him. A few years ago after Kanaye retired, he approached him. He said he wanted to work on the project again, sort of off the books. Kanaye wanted to keep his mind active. I don't think they were friends before that though. Anyway, they worked on the project for about a year before Kanaye started to show some worrying signs. Forgetting things, repeating himself and stuff like that."

"That does seem suspicious." Temari allowed. "I could start poking around."

"Yeah, there's just one thing." Ino said, leaning forward in her chair. "All they did was talk. Theories need experimentation to be proven. If that wasn't true you could find a solution to any problem at a bar."

"How much time do you think a project like that would need and what would be the resources you would need?" Shikamaru asked glancing over at Ino.

She shrugged. "Estimating how much time research will take is always guesswork. Usually the more resources you have the quicker it will go, but that's only if you're not going down a blind alley. Then there are ethical restraints. Orochimaru, for example, didn't have any, so, relatively speaking, he made rapid progress. Of course, he did things that would turn most people's stomachs."

Shikamaru thought about the layout of Sunagakure. The population was about proportional to his own village, but it was more densely packed. "Do you even have abandoned buildings?"

Temari shrugged. "Space is at a premium. Of course, I really don't know. I'll add it onto the list of things to look into. Perhaps we have some, we just don't like to share them."

"All right, anything you want to add Takara?"

Takara had quietly slipped closer to the door to eavesdrop. "No."

"All right then. We can start looking into this tomorrow."

* * *

><p>The early morning sun shone upon the map of Sunagakure's underbelly. Arata's description had been accurate for the most part. Suna had effectively created a parallel street system. It seemed every building had an entrance that lead to their basement, although there were a few that just had a staircase. Also, where the training fields would be there was only a smaller section, maybe a quarter of the size of the ones above.<p>

"The blue is residential, the green is business, yellow and red is official and no color means it's unoccupied." Temari pointed to an example as she listed them.

"If we are talking about minimum space needed, maybe a little bigger than a cell." Ino said as she leaned forward to examine the map herself.

Shikamaru stared at the map. "What are the tunnels like when they're not being used?"

"I can show you in a minute, but it's pretty empty. Everyone has a little light bulb above their entrance." Temari said.

"Then I would put it here." Takara, who had been standing quietly at Shikamaru side, leaned forward and pointed to the training grounds.

The room fell silent at his apprentice's presumption. "Why would you pick there?"

Takara shrugged. "It's the best spot."

The word troublesome came to mind but went unspoken. "Why is it the best spot?"

"Because there's no alleys," Takara answered with a shrug and a sudden interest in the floor.

Shikamaru walked back his frustration. "What does alleys have to do with this?"

She didn't answer at first and for a few seconds he thought she just might go silent on him. Then she spoke in a whisper "When my brother and I were wandering around we usually slept in alleys or parks. Places people avoided, at least at certain times. If you're walking down the street you don't look down every alley, especially when it's dark and the same goes for dark spots and parks. Here though, you don't have those alleys or those parks. Most people don't train at night, at least not like they do during the day."

With that in mind, Shikamaru looked back at the map. A village of any size never slept, not truly. There were always workers coming home late at night, and in the village where the bulk of the population had some sort of training, suspicious behavior was reported at the least. "What about here, where the warehouses are." The warehouses only had staircases that connected them to the subterranean level.

Takara leaned forward and shrugged for an answer. Shikamaru studied the map, trying to find another like she had described and found none. "Where are Arata and Kanaye's residence on this map?" Temari pointed them out and neither were close to the training fields. Kanaye was pretty close to the warehouses. "Let's check out the warehouse area first."

Temari led the way to the lower entrance. At first it looked like they were going back to the archive room, but they took a different staircase and found double doors. They had a turn lock.. The rods pushed into the walls, ceiling and floor. The lock opened to the sound of metal sliding against metal. It was probably not designed to be a subtle way to leave the building.

Shikamaru wasn't exactly sure what he had been expecting. Part of him was expecting a cave and another had been expecting something like a hallway. The truth seemed to be somewhere in between. It was fairly well lit with lights above every doorway. There were signs for street names, and most surprising of all, there wasn't a sense of claustrophobia.

Temari started walking and they hurried to follow. There was no echo as they walked, which was curious, but not the most curious thing Shikamaru thought.

"So, what changed?" Shikamaru pitched his voice low enough that the other two would have to make an effort to eavesdrop.

"What makes you think something changed?" Temari said, following his example.

"Yesterday you were with Ouga and today you're here with me. What changed?"

Temari glanced at him from the corner of her eye for a long time. "Ouga submitted his report. Most are inclined to believe him."

That was interesting, Shikamaru thought. "Political?"

"They're cowards!" Temari stepped. "They prefer a quick fix to looking at a real problem. The fact is someone tried to kill my brother and they just want to put it behind them. Not a single one deserves to advise my brother. Weaklings!"

That word did echo off the walls. "I understand." Shikamaru wasn't sure if that was the best thing to say. It was easier to avoid problems than face them, Shikamaru knew that. It was troubling, though, that so many would be so quick to embrace it. "And what does your brother think?"

"He thinks that there's a thin line between appearing cautious and appearing paranoid. Officially speaking" Temari said.

Shikamaru could see it now. One or two think the assassin acted alone and they needed to think so genuinely. They persuade a few and then accuse others of being paranoid. Without some more information, anyone who insisted there was a larger plot would look paranoid, ranting about invisible conspiracies. If he was truly objective, the information he was going on now was sketchy at best. From an outsider's perspective, the fact that his sister was here could make him look even more paranoid, closing in around family. It was a nice neat circle. Politics, combined with family dynamics, truly troublesome.

"This is Kanaye's place." Temari said as she came to a sudden stop.

Shikamaru stopped and looked at the door. He hadn't been expecting anything particularly menacing, he was disappointed. It was a door, like dozens of others they had passed. It swung inwards and appeared to be made out of wood. Absentmindedly, he lifted one foot and noticed a light dusting of red powder on the bottom. Looking at the side of his sandals he saw no red streaks like Takara had reported seeing.

"Do you have any sort of security down here?" Ino asked?

Temari shrugged. "Yes, but some days are lighter than others. Traffic is light down here, though, when there isn't a sandstorm that one ninja could stand in the middle of the junction and easily watch all four streets-"

"His family?" Shikamaru asked, cutting her off.

There was a moment of silence before Shikamaru realized he had been rude, before he could apologize, Temari answered his question. "His wife has been deceased for 16 years and he has two children, both ninjas. His daughter has been on extended leave for the last three years to take care of her ailing father. His son takes high rank, long-term missions and hasn't been in the village for at least six months. As for his health, there were a few incidences a year or so after he retired. He tried to show up for missions although he was retired, and one time they found him at his old desk working. People tried to keep it quiet, they were his old friends after all."

"Arata," she continued before he could ask, "Has two daughters and one son. The oldest daughter became a ninja and died some time ago during the, our..." She trailed off.

"The unpleasantness during the exam?" Shikamaru offered her a way out.

"Yes, the other two attended the Academy but never graduated. They both live outside of the village now, they run a shop together with their respective spouses."

"It's Arata then." Takara announced.

Shikamaru smiled to himself. Personal revenge for loss of a family member was something she could understand. It had been the reason for her little rampage. "Let's see if we can find something that shouldn't exist then see who we should accuse."

The warehouse district was a disappointment. Long corridors with a few staircases, each one on the map. The standard practice of one light above each door had been abandoned here and replaced with a few stringed along the entire length of the quarter. Shikamaru had a brief hope that perhaps they would find an unaccounted for staircase. Hiding something right out in the open but no luck with that. There were jutsu that could carve straight through rock and cover up behind themselves, but they left signs, if subtle ones as far as Shikamaru knew and he found none. The training fields were equally disappointing.

By the time they had finished up about half the day had passed. Ino and Temari were part way down one corridor when Takara scurried up to him. "I'm sorry. I wasted your time."

"You had a theory and it didn't pan out."Shikamaru said, resting a hand on her head. "That'll happen more often than not."

"Yeah, well, I feel kind of lousy," she said.

Prepubescent egos were so fragile, Shikamaru thought. "It is what it is." Remembering, he glanced down at her sandals. They had no marks on them and neither did his. On a whim, he stepped to the side of the wall and brushed his foot up against it. He came away with little dusting of red. "Is this what you saw on Kanaye?"

Takara looked and shook her head. "No, it was smaller, and, like, darker."

An unexpected wave of guilt came over Shikamaru. Takara was trying very hard to be helpful but nothing was panning out for her. Unconsciously, he looked upwards towards the clouds which he loved but saw rock. It was a rough rock with jagged edges and unlike the smooth walls. He glanced down the hallway where the others were slowly making their way towards them. The ceiling was mostly dark it was an optical illusion of sorts. The lights shone all their light downwards with the help of their reflective dishes. It made the area above them look dark like there wasn't the ceiling there.

"Stop!" Both of the women stopped in their tracks. "Tell me what you see" Shikamaru said, channeling chakra to his hands and feet. He walked to the center of the hallway and then jumped. The rocks were sharp, but not enough to bother his callused hands. It took a second to spread out his body so that he was almost flat. Then carefully put his hand forward and then one of his feet moving like a spider. "What do you see?"

"There was a moment of silence before Ino answered. "I can't see you."

"I can see you fine," Takara said from below.

Shikamaru dropped down to the floor and looked at his hands covered in red dust. His sandals weren't as bad but he could easily see what would happen if you brushed up against the edge of a rock. When he looked at Takara he was smiling. "If I had been dressed all in black, you wouldn't have seen me unless you were looking up when I was right overhead."

Slowly, a smile spread across the girl's face and he wasn't sure if she had figured it out to or knew he was onto something.

"Temari, I think we should have a talk with Kanaye."

* * *

><p>Sunset in Sunagakure was an amazing sight. Shades of orange spread across the sky and the light touched the buildings reflecting gold and red. From the height of his quarters the horizon was just a flat line which gave the impression the sun was lingering on the day. Shikamaru would've preferred a few clouds.<p>

He stood on the balcony of his quarters. Takara sat on the wide railing one leg to either side her back against the wall. Shikamaru didn't know what his apprentice was thinking about, but his mind was wondering how the interrogation was going. They have pulled in Kanaye, but Shikamaru wasn't part of it. They may be working off of his theory but this wasn't his village. He wasn't sure who was doing the interrogation or how. He tried not to think how this would reflect on Temari if this went wrong.

Given his advance stage of memory loss Ino was convinced that he wouldn't remember how to manipulate chakra at all, let alone crawl along the ceiling. He wished she was here now, but they called her away. Someone had offered to teacher some medical technique. Twenty years ago that would've been unthinkable and now well at least with the medical field it was common.

A knock brought him out of his thoughts in turning away from the view of the sunset he walked across the room to answer the door. Ouga was alone and did not look happy.

"Where are the others?"

"Out training." It was a practical lie. Takara was outside and Ino was training.

Ouga pushed past him and into the room. "Good, then I can curse you out without worrying about offending. I objected to pulling in Kanaye. Do you know what it's like to interrogate a man who doesn't even remember his name? I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts."He spat the word out like one would a bug. "Did you think he was getting all this past his daughter? Where would he hide these supposed assassins and how do you think he programmed them? Because I really want to know why I spent the last several hours interrogating a man who kept forgetting where he was!"

Shikamaru felt a pang of regret. Plans didn't always pan out. "Did you see a mark on his"

Ouga cut him off. "No, I saw no marks on his sandals!" He closed the gap between the two of them so they were standing chest to chest trying to intimidate with his size. Shikamaru refused to back down. He hated shouting.

"I was hoping for a thread, something to pull on and unravel everything. One person couldn't do it alone. They would need at least one person who would know the patrol so they could sneak someone in and out using the underground passages. Maybe at the gate too I don't know."

Ouga was standing so close to Shikamaru that he could still smell his breath. Then without warning the man turned away and there was a sharp pain in Shikamaru's arm followed by a burning sensation. He stepped back away from the other man and looked down at his arm. There was a small needle sticking out of his arm. His mind reeled, but before he hit the floor his last thought was of Takara. She would've stayed away from raised voices he thought. At least he hoped so. He hit the ground.


	6. Heroes in Their Own Mind

His tongue hurt. That was the first sensation that registered with Shikamaru as he came back to consciousness. His tongue was pressing against his teeth as if it had grown in size. An involuntary moan escaped past his lips as he tried to move his tongue. Then he felt the ropes holding him in a seated position, his hands tied to the arms of a chair. It was then he remembered the needle and remembered that Ouga was one of them.

"He's coming around."

Ouga's voice rattled through Shikamaru like he was standing next to a loudspeaker. He knew he should have tried to pretend to be unconscious, but that had been impossible. When he opened his eyes the world was a blur. His eyes hurt as did his head.A hand cupped his forehead and he felt his head lifted against his will. The light that was shined into his eyes blinded him and he couldn't see the face of the female voice that spoke.

"We can't start yet."

The light went away and the hand disappeared from his head. Shikamaru felt his chin hit against his chest. Pain shot up from the back of his neck. Shikamaru wondered if that might not be a good thing. He was getting feeling back.

"What do you mean?" Ouga demanded. "We don't have time!"

"I know!" The woman snapped. "We only have one chance at this."

The woman's voice sounded familiar but it took him a few seconds to place the voice with a name. His mind was sluggish; thinking was like trudging through mud. Then he recognized it, it was Chika, Kanaye's daughter. Well, he supposed he had been close. Was Kanaye really innocent? Did his daughter drug him up when she needed him out of the way or was he faking it all? Come to think of it, maybe the man never had been arrested in the first place. Maybe Temari was still working on that. What Ouga had told him couldn't be trusted now.

As he sat slumped in his chair he could feel his mind become unclouded over the next several minutes. He tried not to show any signs of that. He had been captured and there was only one reason they would want him. They wanted him to kill Naruto.

It took an effort not to clinch his hands at that thought. The idea that he could be used like that made him angry. He remembered what Arata had said. Women and children were best able to rewrite their brain if damaged. He was an adult male, was Arata wrong or were they just desperate? Why? What was this obsession with Naruto? It was hard to think it was just a New Guard thing.

His head was yanked back again and the light was shined into his eyes. "He's ready." Chika announced.

When the hand was removed this time Shikamaru didn't let his head fall. No point in pretending unconsciousness now. Instead, he looked around the room. The only light in the room came from two hanging lights. He must've been in the center of the room or near it. A table sat a few feet away with several needles in a stainless steel tray. Two of the needles were filled withclear liquid. One looked thick like syringe. The third needle was filled with orange liquid.

He could see part of a bed when he twisted his head as far as he could. There were two doors, both made out of heavy metal. Ouga was in one corner, his arms crossed uncomfortable. When their eyes met it was Ouga who looked away.

"Traitor." Shikamaru slurred the word out, but Ouga flinched at the accusation nonetheless.

"Traitor, yes." Ouga nodded. "I will not deny that. There are things worth becoming a traitor for though."

"Your clan is that important? You'd betray your villagefor your clan? Gaara trusted you and you betray him for the ghost of a fear."

Chika rubbed his arm with an alcohol wipe. Shikamaru tried to move his armsbut they were strapped both at his wrist and just below his elbow. His ankles were similarly restrained. When Chika moved to the table he tried his feet. The chair was not secured to the ground. Pushing against the ground, he felt his chair rock back. Ouga did not noticed

"I have no clan." Ouga said. "I was raised in the orphanage."

Shikamaru watched as Chika reached for one of the syringes. Just as she was about to grab it he pushed against the ground. The chair rocked back, two of the four feet left the floor. The chair teetered, and for a second, it could have gone in either direction. Tossing his head back, he committed the chair to an introduction to the ground. Before the two met, Shikamaru tucked his chin against his chest.

The back of the chair hit the floor. Shikamaru grunted, but he wasted no time. His arms were restrained, his legs were restrained, but he could still move his waist a little. Throwing his weight to one side, he tilted the chair onto its side. With one more turn, this time with the help of his foot, he was able to turn it again, smacking into the table. He was on his knees, face planted against the floor as he heard the pan land with a satisfied clang.

Then they were on him. Cursing and shouting, he tried to move to make handling him as difficult as possible. Still, there is little anyone can do well tied to a chair. He was quickly righted and pushed into a corner. His efforts had been worth it. The pan had landed upside down, crushing at least two of the needles and spilling their contents.Ouga placed a single foot on the front of the chair, keeping Shikamaru from attempting the same trick again.

Ouga growled, "Hurry up."

Chika was crouched over the broken needles. "I have to get more. They broke in the fall."

"Then hurry up." Ouga snapped.

The look Chika leveled atOuga's back made Shikamaru wonder who was in charge. She left the room without saying anything.

"So, what are you getting out of this?" Shikamaru asked.

Ouga didn't even look down at him.

"I doubt I'll be remembering any of this. So what's the harm? What is it? Wealth, power, a title?

Ouga wanted to hit him, Shikamaru could tell. Whatever his motivations were, he had not listed it. Then, unexpectedly, the man smiled. "I do this for peace."

"Peace?" Shikamaru repeated. In the back of his mind he knew how often that was someone's motivation but it was a nebulous word, really. Peace at any cost is no different than victory at any cost. Like justice and fairness, everyone's definition is slightly different. "Well, you're going to have to explain that to me?"

"We were united, all of us. The different villages all put aside their differences and fought together. We had a purpose, a great enemy. Our finest moment, but it was just a moment. Nothing changed."

"Then why go after Naruto and Gaara? They want peace."

"They want the status quo" Ouga said, his tone low. "They're not instigators of change. Their successors, the ones after them who is to say. We need change. The New Guard, as you call some of us, are unorganized, no focus. Many say when Naruto is in power things will change. They think he and Gaara have plans. Fools."

Shikamaru began to see their plan. The argument between the Old and New Guard was largely theoretical. Neither side was organized, but if two people who were at least viewed as New Guard leaders have been assassinated, that could very well galvanize some others to action. They would unleash chaos. Peace on a pile of the dead.

Chika came back in the room at that moment, holding the steel pan.

"So, who looks after your father when you two are running about kidnapping kids?" He raised his voice but he doubted they had overlooked something as simple as soundproofing.

Chika frowned. "You shouldn't be talking to him."

"He's not going to remember any of this."

"He shouldn't." Chika corrected. "We haven't had a success with adult males yet."

"Your father's refined it. He said it would work."

"I don't like it." She muttered under her breath. "Here, hold this," she said louder, giving him the pan.

Taking one of the needles filled with clear liquid, she injected it into his arm. Shikamaru tried to move his head forward to block the needle, but he didn't have that much movement. For a second it felt like fire was creeping up his arm but then he had a strange sense of relaxation.

"Don't fight it. Just relax." Chika's voice had become soothing like a nurse. "Just let the drug relax you and everything will be okay."

No, it wouldn't, Shikamaru thought. His vision started to become dark around the edges. He felt himself becoming distant, like he was watching something else. By the time they injected him the second time he kind of forgot why he and so… So something. He stared at one of them and then the other, knowing he was forgetting something. Well, if he had forgotten it, it couldn't have been that important.

When the door flew across the room with a deafening bang and cloud of dust, Shikamaru watched it like a leaf falling from a tree. Figures rushed in and the fight that followed was quick and dirty. When it was over someone was staring into his face and saying something, but listening seemed like too much of an effort at the moment and Shikamaru just wanted the man to go away. Then he remembered he could go to sleep and the man probably wouldn't be there when he woke up. It seemed like a good idea so he closed his eyes.

Shikamaru woke up with a soft bed under him and the sound of Ino's chatting voice. Takara interrupted his former teammate. "He's waking up."

Shikamaru opened his eyes only to find his vision blurry. His eyelids felt like they were made out of sandpaper. "Water" his tongue stuck to his mouth.

The big blonde blob came closer and he felt a straw poking his lips. Sipping that cold water quickly made it in the top ten best moments of his life. With his tongue free, he said, "My eyes, everything is blurry."

Ino let out an over exaggerated sigh. "You're so demanding. Here, I shall help."

Prying his eyes open, Ino put some eye drops in each eye, which was definitely not one of his favorite moments in life. However, after he blinked several times, the world was more than just amorphous blobs. Takara was at the far end of the bed, curled up in a chair, looking at him. He gave her a smile that he hoped was reassuring. "Care to catch me up?"

"Takara, would you like to start?" Ino asked. Takara shook her head no. "Fine" Ino said with a shrug. "She heard your argument with Ouga, then she heard your silence. She said she peeked around the corner and saw you on the floor and Ouga standing over you. He sealed you into a scroll and left without noticing her. Takara, being the smart girl she is, waited a few minutes before running in finding me."

Shikamaru nodded. "How did you know where I was though?"

Ino smiled. "Isn't it obvious? Takara suggested it right away. You were at Ouga's place. Who would ever think to look there?" She shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "They're still interrogating them."

Shikamaru nodded to himself. "So we just have to wait."

* * *

><p>By the next morning, Shikamaru was feeling well enough to leave the hospital. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed in on any of the interrogations. A bit more irritating was all the shadows he picked up. People were following him and they made little effort to hide the fact. It took him a while to figure out why that was happening. The answer was obvious, so much so that he had overlooked it. Someone thought they had arrived too late. On the third day, though, they had disappeared, which meant they come to some conclusion. He hoped they would let him in on the interrogations then but no offer came.<p>

On the fifth day they finally got a summons to meet with Gaara. The Kazekage's condition had improved since the last time he had seen him. Of course, since the last time he had seen him the man had been choking on his own blood, anything but death would've been an improvement. Sitting in a chair, he was flanked by either of his siblings and nodded as they entered.

"Shikamaru, Ino and Takara I appreciate your patience." Gaara's voice sounded as if he had a sore throat. It even seemed to hurt him to talk.

Kankuro took up the monologue from there. "We never thought Ouga was anything but loyal. The investigation would've ended without your intervention. Our belief now, though, is it was the three of them and just the three of them."

"What they accomplished, that's a lot for three people. That speaking from a purely technical point of view," Ino said.

Temari step forward and held out a scroll. "The details are here, but it's not as complicated as it first seems. Essentially, they were just using the initial research a little more refined but in itself nothing impressive. The boy, Ryoichi, he was a special case. To program him it took months. He was their third subject too. The other two died."

Shikamaru watched Ino take the scroll. "I'm not sure if I follow. Why was he a special case?"

"Project Rainbow hoped to take someone with little to no combat training and turn them into a weapon," Temari recapped. "For Ryoichi, that meant he had to learn several tasks that were completely foreign to him. Like how to sneak past security, how to hold a weapon, how to use it and so on. They had to program him to consider the chances of success and it all had to be on a subconscious level. For Mikka, it was simple. She had to pour something into a container, and when chased activate exploding tags. Neither task was foreign to her in itself. They just had to have her do them without her knowing it. Ryoichi basically had to rework his personality while Mikka was working off the equivalent of muscle memory."

"What about the injections?" Ino asked.

"The first dose they gave you was to relax you, the second was to make you more suggestive. The third we're still trying to analyze, but it sort of created a memory. We'll give you a sample to take back with you."

"How long does it take?"

"About an hour or so they say." Temari said. "Once we had the time-frame I had a hunch. I asked the people who patrolled the underground tunnels and they said they saw someone fitting Mikka's description often. Apparently, she used the underground tunnels to exercise. It was easy to grab her."

"And I'm guessing they were going to send me after Naruto?"

"You are his friend. Opportunities like that don't rise very often." Gaara almost smiled as he continued. "Of course, you're also the person who wouldn't let things go."

Shikamaru smiled. "I didn't really do much."

"You made them scared," Temari announced. "When Kanaye was brought in I didn't let Ouga anywhere near the interrogation. I was being spiteful really, but he thought we might be onto them. You were their last gamble."

Gaara leaned forward. "It is to our shame that these plotters came from our village. Your efforts show the advantage of our alliance."

That line had a political ring to it, Shikamaru thought. It was also probably an indication the meeting was over with but he thought he should set the record straight. "I thank you for your praise, but much of the credit belongs to my apprentice, Takara. She was the one who noticed the red stain on Kanaye. Without that I would have never even thought to look for your tunnels."

The closest thing to a smile crossed Gaara's lips. "We are so used to the tunnels we probably would've thought nothing of them. Takara, you have this village's and my personal gratitude."

Takara shifted from foot to foot, but she didn't hide behind him, which was an improvement Shikamaru thought. "How did those three meet by the way? I mean, how did Ouga meet them?"

"Kanaye and Ouga served together briefly during the last war. They started talking and eventually brought in Chika when she expressed similar views to their own. Arata, it seems was innocent all the time. The man really does see little more than his patients and research. It'll all be in the report we're preparing for you. You will be able to leave tomorrow morning. " Kankuro's tone indicated that the meeting was at an end.

Ino and he expressed their appreciation of their hospitality and excused themselves in to the hallway. As they were walking down Takara tucked on his arm and he looked down. She stared up at him with a certain mischievous look in her eyes. It was enough to make him wary. "Yes?"

"Gaara thanked me personally. He's the leader of this village."Right?"

"Yes, he did and he is."

"And you said that you couldn't have done it without me, right?"

Shikamaru hesitated. "I gave you credit where credit was due."

"So, if he thanked me and he's the village leader and you said I helped you does that mean I get some of your pay?"

Ino laughed. "I think she's got you there. Obviously, it should come out of your half."

Shikamaru sighed and said under his breath. "Troublesome. All women are troublesome."

* * *

><p>The End<p>

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><p>Authors note: I appreciate you reading and making it this far. Feel free to review =^_^=<p> 


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